Making stacked leather handle?

sogflash

sogflash

Joined
Aug 28, 2011
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I've made more knives with wooden handles than I can count, and I want to try making one with stacked leather.

The blade is a cheap one just to test it, and the leather is mostly small left over pieces from sheathe making.

My plan:
-Cut holes in the leather pieces and place them on the tang.
-Roughly shape the handle.
-Remove the leather and mix up enough epoxy to get it all over the leather pieces.
-Place the leather pieces over the tang again in the right order.

Should I add a step where I place it in a press of some sort to make sure the leather gets pressed together well? Is there anything else I should know?

I'll put a piece of brass (or whatever metal I have laying around) on the back end of the handle and peen it to the tang.

Does leather shrink or expand a lot? Do you think the epoxy will get inside the leather and stabilize it?
 
Pretty sure you need to keep the leather pressed...custom makers thread or maintenance and embellishment thread is where you will get best responses!! Good luck
 
Use wood glue between the layers. Definitely need to compress as much as possible. Pictures show an old mk2 I re handled my method of compression and a better way of compression if you have that style of wood clamp and don’t mind cutting it

view

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You want everything stuck together when you start shaping. Use wood glue between the leather washers as you stack them on the handle, compress the whole thing (put the pommel on), and let it dry. Then shape it. When it's the desired shape, treat the leather (I used a block of yellow carnuba wax melted on and then buffed, but there are lots of options).
 
Thank you for the feedback, and especially to eveled eveled for the detailed guide.

Some of the leather I have is a bit stiff, that's the kind I use too make sheathes, but I also have some that is softer and more easily bendable.

Does it matter what type I use since it'll get glued and pressed together?
 
Here is some advice I received from one of the Masters of this aspect of knife building - John Redmeadow Knives Redmeadow Knives .
I'm certain he won't mind my sharing these quotes - offered in response to my asking him some of the same questions. I hope to be doing my own stacked leather handle soon. My leather is on the bench right now calling to me.

John's ADVICE ~

1. I stopped using the Elmer's glue, I found that if the surface are prepped well enough it doesn't matter.

2. Thickness doesn't really matter but I would try to use at least a 6/7 oz and definitely Veg Tan, Chrome tanned won't hold a "set".

The key is getting each piece rough so they bind together almost like velcro. A belt might be a lot of wasted effort for a subpar result. Unless it has sentimental value, that would be worth the compromise.

I'm trying to go off memory here but it seems like I use 25 to 35 pieces of leather and start with them way oversized, around 1.5" square? A square foot of leather would be plenty and can usually be had for 6 or 7 dollars.

He goes on to say that the water ~

If you rough up both sides of the leather, soak it completely and compress it to the point of madness you wont need any glue, elmers, contact, nothing. The big question is do you have a way to compress it? Clamps aren't going to provide enough pressure, a heavy duty vise or press is the way to go, and do it slooowly, don't squash it all at once or it will want to shift. Then the key is to dry it out, I try to drill the tang hole out as soon as possible to get airflow through the center, it's quite a process but has a good result in my opinion. Getting those lines clean is key, it's easier to do with thicker leather.

He uses a hydraulic jack rig for compressing his stacks. I think I will end up simply using a vise with a string support frame around the stack - maybe 2 or 4 rods through a solid block on each end. I'm pretty eager to get started but not likely here in high summer, too much outdoors calling me.

To the point of helping the stack dry out quickly and evenly I intend to pre-bore the centers of each leather pad and insert a tube or dowel or the like, through the stack. Once it is all compressed I will remove the insert leaving the hole to help the drying.

Of course there are lots of ways to accomplish the same thing. I have seen John's results so am inclined to follow his advice.
 
I used the kit from KA-BAR they were thick. I think thicker would be better.

The early mk2 KaBar style knives had peened tangs so I know it possible but it’s the hardest way and it doesn’t allow for an easy do over.

it’s a lot easier to pin the pommel on. Or better yet a threaded pommel like Randall uses. Then you don’t need a clamp at all. Just tighten the nut.

You definitely don’t need a hydraulic press. If you compressed it too hard the leather would start to separate.

I used a drum sander in a drill press and a carpenters belt sander for the shaping. A round file for the grooves.

black sharpie to color the grooves then finished with Cordova shoe polish.
 
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Leather handled knives were originally made by simply stacking the leather on the tang, compressing it, and attaching the pommel.
You don't really need glues of any kind, nor do you need to wet the leather.
Once it is compressed and fixed, grind/rasp/file the handle to shape.
Always abrade the handle in the same direction and it will polish nicely. If you change direction, it will rough up the leather.
 
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